


I'm Your Daddy

by ramblesandshambles



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Caryl, Caryl relationship, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-24
Updated: 2016-08-02
Packaged: 2018-07-26 10:31:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7570732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ramblesandshambles/pseuds/ramblesandshambles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One night stand gone wrong. Daryl Dixon might be deeper than we thought. Please read full summary.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

 

_Summary. Sorry couldn't find it. This fic will deal with infant and young child death. Cancer._

_If any of these things are triggering for you maybe its not the best fic to read_

_I wasn't sure about posting this at all but I shared it with one of my favourite writers_

_KrissyG and she said I had to post it. So hope you do enjoy it and its not to much of a tear jerker for you all._

 

_Rambles x_

 

 

 

 

Carol looked down at the stranger thrusting between her thighs, his mouth was on her breast and he had her backed up against her shower wall thrusting into her over and over again. He was so sexy hot, she never ever taken a guy home like this ever in her life. He kissed almost every part of her body and she couldn’t barely breathe because the sensations of his body slamming into her was almost overwhelming. His arms were holding her up right and he had no intention of slowing down anytime soon, her head rolled back against the shower wall and she fought to keep control of her body but the fire between her legs was building to a point she didn’t think she ever would walk again. She came hard again for the third time since he began his assault on her in the shower, her head rolled forward and rested on his shoulder. She never ever had an experience like this.

 

“You want me to stop?” He grunted as he moved inside her.

 

 _Oh God no, I'm thinking about locking you up in my cupboard and treating myself every other night..._ all sorts of thoughts were running through Carol's mind.

 

“No… keep… going…” She managed to communicate because she would kill him if he stopped now. He was so good, so perfect and he hit the right spot every time he trust into her.

 

She had been feeling lonely and decided to take a chance and go out on her own hoping to to find someone to talk with. Even share a plate of food with at the bar not far from her house. She had walked in and ordered a drink and looked around. The bar wasn’t that busy at that time of night but there was a good looking guy at the end of the bar picking at bar nuts. He wasn't looking left and he wasn't looking right. He was just staring down the bottom of his beer glass. She took her drink and moved to sit beside him. He looked rough around the edges, a blue collar type of guy who would probably be interested in whatever she had to offer him.

 

He glanced at her briefly and she sipped her drink and introduced herself. He nodded and gave her his name. They talked about the stale beer nuts and Carol ordered a plate of nacho’s and he picked at some off her plate. They began playing pool together around about nine and a few shots and beers later they were touching each other every time they passed each other passing the pool cue to each other. Carol found herself inviting him back to her apartment to take the game further. They barely made it into her apartment and they tumbled across her lounge floor touching and groping each other.

 

They had a touched and kissed and sucked on each others bodies to the point where it was indecent. Having the strange man's tongue circling her clit had made her come so hard and he never pulled away he just kept going. She never in her life did anything like this. Honestly in this moment he could rob her whole apartment and it would be worth it for the way he made her feel. He had slid right into her on her lounge floor and Carol was sure they both had carpet burn on their arses. He thrust into her slowly bending his head kissing her slowly.

 

Before they both fell asleep in a drunken haze on the floor Carol insisted that they slept in the bed instead. They gathered their clothes up, he tried to go home but Carol just dragged him into the bedroom to her bed. They slept for hours, Carol woke to hear someone stumbling into the bathroom for a drink in the morning, the sun was high in the sky, she lifted her head to see a very naked man sporting a hard on using her mouth wash in her bathroom. She lay her head back down, her butt was sore from the carpet burn and she didn't know quite how to handle the morning after. He saw that she was awake and walked across to look at her with something in his hand. He was naked so very naked.

 

“Drink?” He asked her walking back handing her a drink from the glass she kept in the bathroom. She took it and tried not to stare at his dick but she couldn't help it. “Can I take a shower?”

 

“Sure…” Carol Wrapped her bed sheet around herself and went into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her to use the toilet, she used the mouthwash herself and stared at herself in the mirror. She looked tired but she had a glow. What the hell was she doing, she had a very naked man on the other side of the door and he didn't seem to give a shit if she saw him naked or not.

 

She turned the shower on and opened the door for him to come in. He stopped behind her, she could feel his breath on the back on her neck. He leaned in kissing her on her shoulder, he tugged at the bed sheet letting it fall to the ground and pulled her with him into the shower. She thought about resisting but the chances of seeing him again was unlikely, she barely every left the apartment except to go for work she was not going to miss the opportunity for another great moment.

 

That's how she had her legs wrapped around him and never before had she had mind blowing sex like this. He’d kissed almost every part of her body and even though they were both stumbling drunk last night the sex in the morning with both of them sober it had been mind blowing and he was staring her right in her eye as he moved in and out of her. His eyes were intense blue and he was staring right at her.

 

When he came he made sure she came with him, using his hand to bring her on. He put her down on her feet and groaned into her neck. The water pounding down on them, she leaned in to lick some from his neck.

 

“That was…” He groaned.

 

“Great.” She whispered back.

 

He washed himself off and they climbed out of the shower, he dried off and started to put his clothes on. Carol wrapped a towel around herself and watched him dress not sure about what to say.

 

“I”ve gotta head out.” He said.

 

“Ok,” She didn’t expect anything from him, she’d picked him up at a bar downtown seen him sitting there alone nursing a drink and she had a Itch to scratch. She was right in her choice, a blue collared guy with no strings attached.  Her mission of the night had been completed. She was pretty new to town and she didn’t feel like being alone.

  
“Thanks… it was great.” He said, she nodded, he kissed her a cheek, “I ain’t used nothing, I’m clean but you might wanna get the morning after pill or something.” And with that comment he was gone. Two hours later when she finally made it out of her bedroom into the lounge she saw that he had left his number on the notepad on the coffee table. No way would she ever ring it.


	2. Chapter 2

Carol forgot to go get something after that night a she found out she was pregnant quite quickly. Morning sickness hit her hard about three weeks later, she spent half her time at work in the rest room on her hands and knees vomiting thankful the floor was super clean. The other half trying to fight the vomit from coming up her throat. She tried to keep on top of her work and she was thankful she was working for friends who were more like brothers to her. Glenn Rhee and Caesar Martinez. They kept coming in to check she was ok and kept giving her more and more drinks and were almost spoon feeding her food. She wasn't putting on weight she was losing it and the men were starting to get worried.

 

 

When she was about five months pregnant she was so sick that her friends took her into the A&E. She had fainted at work because she couldn’t keep anything down. She was pale and barely could keep her eyes open. Glenn Rhee carried her into the waiting room and they moved her quickly into a bed. They hooked her up to drip straight away and put a baby monitor on her tiny stomach. There wasn't much there to even see that she was five months pregnant. A kind nurse who told her a doctor would be along soon to check her and the baby. Carol couldn’t believe her eyes as the curtain pulled back, a male doctor entered and a pair of blue eyes looked up from her chart. If he recognized her he didn’t let onto anyone in the general area know.

 

“Hi Carol," He looked up and his eyes flashed down her. He saw the baby monitor and stared at it for a few moment watching it. He looked at her belly then up again at her face. "I'm Daryl Dixon, one of the doctors on today in the ER, tell me how far along are you.” He knew, she could tell by the way he looked at her he knew.  She had to tell him how far along she was, but she couldn't stop the stutter as she told him.

He insisted on running a scan across her belly. He stared at the baby on the monitor moving inside her. He looked mad, he looked like he was going to say something harsh and then he managed to rein himself in thinking he needed to keep himself together. Glenn was hovering nearby watching what was going on with the monitors and with the doctor who looked so annoyed with Carol. Carol knew it was because he just found out he was about to become a father. She didn't want him to know which is why she never rang him. 

 

“Looks good, babies are like parasites. I want to admit you overnight, just to be on the safe side. We don't want anything to happen to this baby do we.” He told her, all Carol could do was shake her head. “Do you want to know the sex?"

 

“Yes please…” She said softly, she was so thankful Glenn and Caesar had left the room for a short time.

 

“Well it looks like we have a little girl in here.” Daryl said putting the wand across her stomach again, he hovered over her stomach for longer than necessary for a exam. She knew he was checking more than the sex, he was doing a full scan longer than he needed to making sure the baby was really ok. “I’m not a obgyn though… do you have one? I'll organize someone better than me to do a full scan. Insurance?”

 

“Yes… and I’ve got insurance.” Carol told him.

 

Daryl looked about the ER was busy, but he was taking his time. He rubbed his hands together and asked her if he could feel her stomach. Carol didn’t know if it was because he wanted to feel the baby or if it was for a medical reason. She granted him permission to touch her anyway. He started feeling around her stomach. He was concentrating on her actual stomach and not the baby. Carol didn't know what he was doing. He glanced at her face and could tell she didn't know what the hell he was doing.

 

“I’m checking to make sure you don’t have anything like appendicitis or enlarged spleen or kidney's or anything like that that... we could miss because we are assuming its the baby and morning sickness. I want you to stay in overnight.” Daryl told her. “We can keep the fluids up and keep an eye on you overnight alright... I want a full run of blood tests and lots of other things to make sure its just the baby making you sick ok?”

 

He was feeling down her sides and up into her ribs. He pulled out a stethoscope and listened to her chest. He listened for a few breaths and moved it around to another spot. “Cough,”

 

Carol coughed the shocking cough she had been trying to ignore for a few days.

 

“I think you have chest infection, it could be turning to pneumonia,” He said, “How long have you been sick?”

 

“A few days, I saw my midwife two days ago. She just said it was a cold.” Carol said, she was trying not to cry. She couldn't help it and then the tears kept pouring down her face. “Is it going to hurt the baby.”

 

“No, we will treat it, you are going to let us treat it right…” Daryl tried to soften his tone. "I'm not going to let anything happen to the baby ok."

 

“Yes, they said I’d be ok.” Carol said, “I asked if I would need antibiotics and they said I didn’t.”

 

“You probably didn’t two days ago but you got worse.” Daryl said. “We will put it in your line, how do you feel about a chest x-ray?”

 

“The baby…”

 

“We will put a special blanket over her but we need to know what we are dealing with.” Daryl told her. “I’ll get it organized.”

 

They stood staring at each other for a few minutes. Carol had judged him the first night she met him. She thought he was a bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks but he wasn’t. He was a respected doctor and now he knew she was pregnant with his baby.

 

“Its my baby isn’t it.” He asked her. She nodded.

“I think we need to talk.” He said.


	3. Chapter 3

That was the last she saw of him for the shift he had her transferred and she had a chest xray and had iv antibiotics. He stopped by the next day to check on her. She looked better and was sleeping soundly, there was a Asian guy sitting by the bed reading a book. Daryl stared at man for a moment then asked about Carol.

 

“Hi, how’s she feeling?” Daryl asked him, he picked up his chart and glanced through it. He glanced at the baby monitor and watched it for a moment.

 

“She’s been sleeping, they have a monitor on the baby,  and she ate something.” Glenn told him. "Do you often follow up on your ER patients?"

 

Daryl walked across and shook Carol awake gently, she opened her eyes and groaned when she saw it was him. She wanted him just to disappear to leave her alone.

 

“Can we talk?” he asked her.

 

“No… I don’t want to do anything. I don’t want you involved.” She told him.

Daryl didn’t say anything he just nodded and backed out of the room.

One week later she was served with papers stating that he wanted to be involved with the baby. He had filed  a petition with court to gain access to the baby as soon as it was born, the baby also had to have a paternity test when she was born.

 

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((

 

Carol looked at her watch, her stomach was churning it was nearing the time and that Daryl was coming to pick up her daughter to take her away for a few hours.  Court ordered... because he took her to court for access to Sophia. She looked at the little baby kicking on the floor, she just fed her and she should be fine for a couple of hours with her father. She didn’t even know where he lived. They had been to his house and checked it out and approved it for visits. And when Sophia was off the breast he was already talking about overnight visits. The whole situation made her sick. She knew he would tell her if she asked. She had his phone number because she had called it twice in the past three months at early hours of the morning because Sophia had been sick and she had been worried.

 

Both times he had come out. Once in the rain at three in the morning for a rash and a fever and once at midnight when she rolled over and bumped her head on the corner of the coffee table. She felt like the worst parent in the world both times and she was worried he would use it against her in access agreement. But he didn't he wanted to to make sure Sophia was ok and he stayed over the rest of the night just to keep Carol's mind at ease the Sophia was indeed going to be ok. For once she was thankful he was a doctor but it still didn't change the fact it hurt to have him involved when she really didn't want to.

 

She had been so stupid taking him home from the bar for a bit of drunken fun and ended up pregnant. She never thought she would see him again until it turned out he wasn’t some redneck hick he was actually a doctor. Now he turned her life upside down wanting to see Sophia. She had put every roadblock in his way to stop him but he just stepped around them and kept showing up for his court access allowed time.

 

She hadn’t wanted to talk or make a deal or even inform him she had the baby. She couldn’t believe it when she was served with papers before she had the baby with his intent to be a father to the baby. In case Carol had decided to give the baby up for adoption he had already put an injunction or a hold on it stating he wanted to be an involved parent. He wanted fifty fifty shared custody when she was old enough.

 

Carol couldn’t believe it. She consulted her own lawyer and was told that they would run a dna test to prove he was the father and provided he had money and could provide care for her he would be allowed access.

 

She really wanted nothing to do with him. She was ashamed she had even taken him home. She just didn’t trust him with her daughter. She was lying to herself of course he was fine with his daughter but Carol just didn’t want to share.

  


Carol was trying to hold her tears together. He had had supervised access with Sophia for six months, from a few days after she was born.  He only missed one visit when he rang to say he had a vomit bug and he didn’t want to pass it to Sophia. For some reason the judge at the courts loved him and Carol couldn't work out why.

 

He arrived every time on his Harley like he was in a hurry to get somewhere else he always looked exhausted and in need of a shower and bed.  Always looking like he was in a hurry to get somewhere. He never lingered and talked to her, all his attention was focused on Sophia. He hugged and cuddled and kissed her most of the time he was there. He brought her small toys and clothes and things that he thought Sophia might like. Carol couldn't really fault him even though she wanted to.

 

Someone appointed by the court would sit in her lounge with him while he interacted with Sophia for the first two months. Carol would sit up in her room and cry or do laundry. A few times she had to come in and settle Sophia because she wanted a feed. In the early days it happened a great deal. They spoke quietly with each other but Carol made it clear that she really didn’t want to be his friend.

 

She didn’t even know where he was taking her. She hoped he was bringing a car. She had a diaper bag packed but he never had to change her diaper since he had been visiting. She couldn’t believe she had no choice but to let him take Sophia wherever he wanted to.

Carol looked at her phone when it started ringing seeing it was him. She answered it.

 

“Hello…”

 

“Look its me I can’t make it today… something's come up. Can I reschedule?” Daryl's voice come over the phone. Carol couldn’t believe it it was his first alone access and he couldn’t make it.

 

“Fine… I don’t know if we can reschedule it… if somethings more important than Sophia… I guess…”   
  


He cut her off.

 

“Can I call you later and explain… I can’t talk now. I’m just letting you know I won’t be there.” Daryl rung off before Carol could say anything.

 

“Your daddy’s a flake.” Carol said to Sophia. She needed to just stop saying stuff like that. She didn’t know what could possibly be more important than Sophia.

  
  



	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry guys, this chapter will deal with child's death. Not Sophia though.
> 
> Sorry no update last night my internet has been out for about 28 hours. No other updates anywhere tonight. Hopefully I get it sorted in the morning.

“Just turn the lights off.” Daryl said. “Take the heart monitor off, take everything off.” Daryl was standing by the bed of two year old John James, who had been in and out of foster care and was diagnosed with leukemia six months ago. He had been in hospital ever since because he had nowhere else to go. The nurses rotated around him. Daryl stumbled across him two months ago when called up to the ward to help with another patient. He had seen the little boy lying in the cot in the room across from the nurses station staring at Barney playing on the screen on the roof above his bed. The nurse were busy and he stopped by his cot to cuddle him for a little while.

 

He asked where the parents were and was told he had none. After his shift Daryl stayed on taking the little boy in his arms and rocking him in the rocking chair to sleep giving him comfort. He didn’t know when they put the lazy boy in it. It was shortly after they found him asleep curled up around John in the hospital bed. He had dropped one side down and was half hanging out snoring with his arms around the boy.

 

They asked around about Daryl as he had started at the hospital as a locum in the ER that he asked for a transfer to this one, and quickly found out that this was the third child he had taken a special interest in. Babies and children with no one. He just started showing up and hanging out with them being there for any treatment as the child's voice and support person. They heard he even adopted two babies in another hospital in Georgia.

 

“Doctor Dixon… we not really allowed.” One of the nurses tried to tell him.

 

“Take it all off, I’ll sign anything.” Daryl started taking the drip and the heart monitor off the two year old lying in the bed. The other doctor in the room nodded in agreement. He knew what Daryl was going to do and what was happening. He'd been around long enough that he knew Daryl wouldn't let the little boy slip away in the bed.

 

“Why did you adopt him when you knew….” Sasha asked him

 

“I just wanted him to… have someone you know.” Daryl said. “Have a name and a family… he’s not going John Smith... he's a Dixon and he's mine.”

 

“We are going out to the park.” Daryl said, they knew he was talking about the hospital park on the ground floor.

 

“Daryl you can’t.” One of the nurses said.

 

“He ain't never been so he’s going... he hasn't been outside in months” Daryl told them. John had been so sick Daryl barely took him to the the play room, never took him outside mostly they just lay in the bed staring at the cartoons or the little guy slept on his chest while Daryl slept. He grabbed a blanket and a wrapped it around the small child in his arms. His eyes were not open but his body sagged into Daryl's. The nurse helped him wrap the blanket around him.

 

“I’ll come too,” the nurse called Sasha said. “I’m rostered to him until eight.”

 

“Anyone else want to come?” Daryl asked, the doctor with them nodded that he was coming down to the park also. He was monitoring pain relief. “Let's do this.”

 

They were a somber group heading down the private elevators for the hospital beds and anything too big to go through the normal lifts. Daryl looked down and the little guy in his arms was trying to open his eyes.

 

“It's ok buddy, Daddy’s got you.” He whispered. He kissed his head and lifted him higher in his arms so he could see Daryl’s face a little better. They walked through the halls, and out into the playground courtyard, there were a few kids with parent there, with wrist bands and were playing on the low play equipment, Daryl headed to the swing seat and sat down. Sasha sat beside him and the doctor stood near by, he pushed the drip near Daryl and moved off to the side be be discreet and keep anyone who wanted to come near away.

 

“I’ve got it, it's ok.” Daryl told Sasha. Sasha looked nervous and worried about what was happening. She was a pretty new nurse and this was one of her patients that she had grown attached too. 

 

“You sure?”

 

“We are fine,” Daryl said.

 

Sasha moved off nearby sitting with the doctor and they waited. Daryl rocked he moved John slightly in his arms so he was comfortable. He hummed a nonsense tune to him and waited. It was time, he wasn’t alone and he was safe in Daryl’s arms.

 

“It's ok… you have a daddy now, you can go…” Daryl whispered to him, “It's ok… I have got you, I’ve got you… and we are out in the sun at the park, I promised I’d take you to the park didn’t I.”

 

He whispered the words over and over rocking. The little boy let go in the safety of his arms and he gave the doctor awaiting the nod, he come across and took a stethoscope to check him. Sasha was crying quietly. The doctor took away the drip quietly and the three of them left the park to go back upstairs.

 

“What you did…” Sasha tried to say. “Thank You…” She couldn’t say anything else, Daryl couldn’t talk to them he just stared straight ahead and they went into the room he had been staying in and he sat on the lazy boy and rocked for over an hour while they waited for funeral director to come. Daryl didn’t put him down, he didn’t speak, he didn’t answer his phone.

  
*************************

 

 

Sasha was getting worried about Daryl, he hadn’t moved from his seat and the undertaker had come and went. Daryl had made arrangements for a small service in the chapel in the church for John, he would take his ashes home and put them on the shelf with the other babies he had adopted. He wanted them to have a family not be in the foster care system and he wanted them to go to the next place at least having a dad.

 

“Do you think we should ring someone?” Sasha asked the floor manager after another hour passed. They were all growing worried about Daryl and they didn't know who to call and get them to come and pick up Daryl. Sasha nodded, “Next of kin?”

 

“Looks like it's a Sophia Campbell-Dixon? Wife?” The manager asked Sasha, she had tapped Daryl’s name into the computer, the ER doctor had been spending more and more time on this floor than his own,  Sasha shook her head and she didn’t know. “You call.”

 

Sasha looked at the cell phone number and dialed it waiting for someone to answer.

 

“Hello?” Carol answered the phone.

 

“Hi this is Sasha I’m a nurse in the oncology department, can I speak with Sophia please?” Sasha said.

 

“Um… Sophia’s a baby… she can’t talk, I’m her mother can I help?” Carol asked.

 

“Hi… Do you know Daryl Dixon?” Sasha didn’t know which way to take the conversation, she had no idea who she was even talking to. 

 

“Yes he’s Sophia’s father…” Carol said. “Is everything ok… you are calling from the hospital. Is he ok?”  


“Well Daryl’s not doing so good, he’s a doctor here… something happened and I just thought he might need someone to come down.” Sasha said, “He lost his little boy today and he is just sitting here rocking in the chair still and I’m very worried about him.”

 

Carol was confused, she didn’t know Daryl had a son. But she looked at the little girl kicking on the floor and knew she had to take her to her daddy. Carol felt a wave of nausea washing over her.

 

“I’ll be right down, where do we go?” Carol asked.

 

************************************

 

Daryl heard the baby babble before he saw Sophia. He looked up and saw Carol standing there with his daughter. Carol stared at him, his eyes were bloodshot and he looked terrible. He was pale and he looked worse than she ever ever seen him.

 

“I’m so sorry,” Carol stepped forward and before she could help herself she tried to wrap her arm around him to hold him and hold the baby at the same time. She was bending at the waist because he was still sitting on that lazy boy rocking chair, and he broke, tears rolling down his face. Carol tried to put herself on the armrest of the chair but somehow Sophia and her ended up in his lap and he cried into her neck.

 

Carol made the appropriate shushing noises like she would to Sophia when she was upset. He started to slow and she wondered if he fell asleep. She leaned back to look and he was awake watching Sophia.

 

“Come on I’ll take you home.”

 

“How are you here?” He asked her, he took Sophia and kissed her.

 

“A nurse rang to talk to Sophia. I thought maybe you needed her.” Carol said, he was barely keeping up walking across the room, he was in a daze she could tell. She reached out and took his hand and led him past the desk, She nodded her thanks to Sasha and led him to the lift. They needed to get home. She needed to get him home because he was suffering from shock or something.

 

She didn’t know where he lived so she just took him home to her house. She made him a sandwich and then pushed him towards her bedroom and made him lie down in her bed. He rolled on his side and shut his eyes. It was grief and it was hitting him hard. Carol didn’t know what else to do. He was basically a stranger who she slept with one time. She did know he was a doctor, he never told her he had a son or even offered for him to meet Sophia.

 

She covered him in a blanket, She picked his pants up off the floor, keys and a wallet fell out of his pocket. The wallet fell open and the photo holder opened and she could see all the baby and toddler photos in there. Photos of babies and young children with him. She couldn’t believe it. Daryl had about seven kids looking at all the photos in the photo part.

 

Later that night he still hadn’t woken, Carol wasn’t sure if she should wake him or not. He looked exhausted when she picked him up. She didn’t even know if he would be capable of driving and she would have to give him her car because god knows where his bike was, in the end she let him sleep.

 

She thought about sleeping on the couch but Sophia’s cot was set up in her bedroom and she would need to get up to tend to her during the night. So in the end she climbed to bed beside Daryl. She rolled this way and that and her shifting in the bed must have roused him slightly that he rolled over onto his side and slung his arm over her side. He wriggled closer to her in his sleep. Carol couldn't help but relax into him. She could feel his breath on the back of her neck it was going to give her a chill running down her.

 

Carol woke to Sophia’s cries in the dark and somehow she was tucked even closer into his side and his arm was tight around her. Carol moved quickly away because she didn’t know why she had done that. She turned the lamp on and picked Sophia up out of her bed. The little girl gave her a toothy grin. She did look like her father she didn’t doubt that. Carol quickly changed her and climbed back into bed to fed her.

 

She was aware she was being watched about ten minutes into the feed, she was reading a book with one hand and cradling Sophia with her other. Carol flicked her eyes to the man beside her in the bed. His blue eyes were muzzed with sleep. He looked confused about her being in bed with him feeding the baby. 

 

“Hi…”

 

“Hi, is she ok?” He asked in a low tone, “I heard crying.”

 

“Just her night time feed,”

 

Daryl mumbled something she didn’t catch and the bed dipped as he rolled out the side onto his hands and knees on the floor, he slowly stood up groaning as he did and made his way to the bathroom that was actually  an en suite. She didn’t have to tell him where it was, he’d been in there and that was possibly the place they conceived Sophia, the soapy hot sex in the shower. Her face burned remembering that moment.

 

He come out drying his hands on her hand towel watching her, he turned and hung the bath towel back up and sat on the edge of the bed.

 

“I better go…” He started pulling his pants on.

 

“Its three in the morning, how are you getting home?” Carol asked him.

 

“Taxi or something... Walk.” He mumbled.

 

“Daryl…” Carol said. “You can stay here, I’ll drop you off in the morning.”

  
Daryl finished pulling on his pants and turned towards them buttoning them up. Carol didn’t know jeans would be so attractive on a man. She didn’t know when she started thinking of him as attractive.

 

“Nah… gotta shower and change, John’s service is at ten.” Daryl told her. “Thanks for everything.” He nodded to her, Sophia had finished her milk and Daryl reached out to take her while Carol fixed her shirt. He cuddled her into his chest and kissed her. He rubbed her back while she brought up a burp that he was proud off, she offered him a sleepy grin at the noise and flopped back onto his shoulder.

 

“Do you want me to put her back in her bed?” Daryl asked Carol.

 

“No you can hold her as long as you need to.” She said quietly.

 

He didn’t say anything but kissed the baby again watching her fall asleep in his arms, “I didn’t mean it to end up like this… us going to court and stuff, but you wouldn’t let me see her. She’s my little girl and I need her, I wanna be a good dad to her even though you don’t seem to like me that much.”

 

“I’m sorry… but you were trying to take her from me.” Carol said quietly.

 

“And you were trying to keep her from me… like you think poorly of me.” Daryl said. He stood up quietly with the baby in his arms and offered her to her mother for a kiss and took her across to tuck her into the cot. “Does she have this teddy close or in the corner?”

 

“Close, tuck it under the blanket with its head sticking out.” Carol said. She was quiet for a long time, “Daryl your wallet fell on the floor and when I picked it up I saw all these photos… How many kids do you have?”

 

“Alive? Just Sophia.” Daryl didn’t turn about he just was stroking Sophia’s head. He finally turned around. “Those are all my kids though. I… I keep adopting terminally ill kids so they have someone… a dad, at least on paper and I know I’m not going to have them long but they are going to have me for the rest of their lives. Babies and little kids with no one to visit or to come cuddle them but the nursing staff. So the first time I filled in the paper work I adopted this little baby had something really wrong with it, its brain… and no one wanted her, she was left in the ER… so I adopted her and stayed.”

 

Carol couldn’t swallow because of the lump in her throat.

 

“It just kinda snowballed… It breaks my heart every time and every time I know it's going to break my heart but I do it anyway.” Daryl told her. “When I saw you pregnant I hoped it was mine… you didn’t seem the type to take strange men home and then you wouldn’t have anything to do with me so I had to take you to court for access to my daughter.”

 

Carol felt bad she misjudged him. Judged him based on one night of them together.

 

“I gotta go. Can I reschedule my access to Sophia for alone time with her?” He asked her.

 

“Sure, call me when things settle down.” Carol said.

 

“I’ll call you tomorrow.” He started to head out.

 

Carol called after him, “Daryl, I’m going to have dinner around six if you want to stop by then and see Soph, you can have dinner with us.”

 

He didn’t say anything or look back but he ducked his head to let her know he heard her. She heard him calling for a cab and five minutes later she heard him leaving, he locked the door behind him, she knew because he tried it from the outside to make sure it locked. She moved to the window and watched him standing on the street waiting for his cab. When it pulled up he looked towards her window, he couldn’t know she was watching him through the crack but somehow she felt that he knew.

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry guys didn't mean to make you all cry. Warning warning.

It was nine in the morning and Carol was having a one sided conversation with herself. Telling herself that it would be fine for her and Sophia to go attend the service that morning. Daryl hadn’t invited her but he had told her the time and the place. She felt bad for him. In her head she reasoned with herself that she should go to support him. She was going to try to get on with him better than she had been. Stop making him go to court for changing access. He was a decent man and maybe they could work it out to parent Sophia together a better way.

 

Carol hadn’t had many friends when she moved into town. She moved on a whim from her old friend she had in college Glenn Rhee, he told her he would get her a job in the company he owned. He was holding her job open and even gave her a pass code so she could work from home on full pay. He told her he would make her work twice as hard when she came back. They both knew he was joking. He was loaded and could afford to help her out. Also he thought of himself as an honorary uncle to Sophia.

 

Carol had rung him that morning to see what he thought about what she had found out about Daryl and he told her that they should both go. Mainly because Glenn was super nosey and wanted to know if Daryl was cute or not. Glenn was forever gay and had a live in partner but he wanted to check out the guy that had bedded his friend and impregnated her. He insisted that Carol should go and that they should go with her.

 

Glenn knocked at the front door and by his side was his boyfriend Caesar, Carol shook her head. They were both dressed in dress pants with dress shirts and mickey mouse ties and nothing like she had ever seen them both wearing at the same time. It was clear they were trying to be both formal and with a hint of a childhood icon. None of them knew what they should wear to the funeral.

 

“No,” Carol said to them. “Not today.”

 

“We will sit at the back,” Caesar said.

 

“It’s not appropriate, I’m going to be sitting at the back.” Carol said.

 

“We will be on standby if she starts crying.” suggested Glenn gesturing to Sophia.

 

“Stay back, he might not like two men he doesn’t know all over his daughter ok. Also it’s not really the right time for you both to meet him.” Carol said. She finished getting Sophia dressed and herself dressed. She chose a cherry sundress with a denim jacket over the top. She didn’t know what to wear to a funeral of a child but she felt that colour should be expected. They stopped on the way to get a couple of helium balloons to let go. She didn’t know what else to do. They would have to wing it and hopefully Daryl wouldn't even notice they were there.

 

They arrived at ten to ten in the morning. Sophia was dressed a a pretty denim pinafore and pink tights  and top underneath. She had pulled off the pink head band Glenn had tried to put on the baby. Daryl was up front standing near a small white coffin and talking to the person who would be running the service. Carol slipped in the small chapel and Daryl turned his head and saw her trying to slip into the back row following two guys he didn’t know. He walked over nodded to them.

 

He looked at Carol and took her hand. “Thank you for coming.”

 

“Is this ok?” Carol looked up at him. “I thought… um, that’s Glenn and Caesar, my friends we just come… to support you.”

 

Daryl reached across shaking the men’s hands he noted straight away they both were gay, they were checking him out for sure. They were trying to figure him out. No one ever could figure him out. Daryl couldn’t even figure himself out. One by one the small chapel filled up with nursing staff taking a short break to come say goodbye to the little boy. Carol sat at the back trying not to cry.

 

They left quietly as they came, Daryl kissed and cuddled Sophia before she left telling Carol he would ring her later to organize seeing Sophia. He hadn’t said he was coming over for dinner she just didn’t know what he would do. She thought that she might ring him that afternoon and remind him.

 

She left the hospital and headed to the store. She didn’t know what he ate or didn’t eat and she didn’t know what to prepare. Sophia was sitting in the wagon watching her cruise the isle. She was looking at the different meat wondering what to buy. She kept glancing from the steak to the ribs, then across to the pork. She just didn't know what to do.

 

She grabbed chicken fillets, she put them in the trolley but then she saw the steak. She didn’t even know if he ate meat. Of course he ate meat, Christ why didn’t she know anything about this man. Jesus!

 

“Hi Carol… Hi princess Sophia…” A man with a shaved head stopped by her trolley, his head bent as he kissed her daughter. Carol started to freak out for a second before she recognized Daryl’s brother. “Sophia’s getting bigger every time I see her.”

 

“She is, she’s six months now.” Carol was standing there with steaks in her hand in the meat aisle she couldn’t help but wonder why Merle didn’t go today.

 

“Daryl said you showed up today.”

 

Carol nodded her head, “I didn’t know anything about it, the hospital rang…”

 

“He said you looked after him. That’s good. I couldn’t go…” Merle said, he looked around looking uncomfortable.

 

“You were busy.”

 

“No.... I just can’t do it… what he does, we had a sister when we were in foster care and she got sick, Daryl vowed never to let it happen like that to anyone when he was about. I was sixteen, he was ten. We were allowed to sit with her but only during visiting hours and if people would take us.”

 

“I didn’t know.” Carol said.

 

“He doesn’t talk about it, and his kids.” Merle said.

 

“Merle would you like to come to dinner tonight?” Carol extended the invitation. “I invited Daryl but I don’t know if he’s coming.”

 

“He said he was,” Merle nodded at the steaks in her hands. “Good choice, and I love cheese cake.” He gave her a wink, dipped down and planted a kiss on Sophia’s head and started to walk off. “See you at six.”

 

“See you.” Carol called after him. Carol looked at her baby who was staring at the ceiling. A happy little soul, “Ok steaks for daddy and uncle Merle.” Carol told the baby.

 

Merle paid for his stuff walking out of the store pulling out his phone to call his brother to make sure he was going to Carol's for dinner. 

 

*************************


	6. Chapter 6

 

“Tell me again why we are doing this and why you are here?” Daryl hissed at his brother he was walking down the hall towards Carol’s apartment. Merle was almost frog marching him down the hall shoving him in the direction of Carol's door and Daryl was digging his heels in trying to tell him why this was a really bad idea to mix socially with Carol. Sure he appreciated what she done for him the last twenty four hours but she really didn't mean it when she invited him for dinner. “She hates me and has done everything she could to stop me seeing Sophia.”

 

“We were invited baby brother so let's just go in and play nice. Maybe she’s starting to change her view about you.” Merle told him, to tell the truth he was hoping Carol was a good cook and he was already thinking about the steak he was going to eat.

 

“Its hormones, and she thinks I did a nice thing. She doesn’t care except that I’m paying child support and shit.” Daryl whispered he grabbed at Merles arm to stop him from knocking on the door.

 

Merle knocked on the door and Carol opened it. She stepped aside to let them in she had an appoligic look on her face, Daryl knew it she didn't' want them there.

 

“I hope you don’t mind but an old friend stopped by to visit, she’s staying here.” Carol whispered. “It was kinda a spur of the moment thing.” She whispered to Daryl. "She broke up with her boyfriend and I'm not really sure what its all about.

 

Merle and Daryl shuffled into the small apartment and nodded at the blonde sitting on the couch playing with Sophia.

 

“Andrea… this is Merle and this is Daryl.” Carol introduced them.

 

Andrea’s face went bright red. She nodded in Merle's general direction. Daryl looked between them.

 

“Do you two know each other?” Carol asked.

 

“Where the fuck have you been?” Merle basically threw himself at Andrea’s feet. “Christ girl.”

 

Andrea passed the baby to Carol and fled the room, Merle was moving fast after her and before Carol knew what happened they had locked themselves in her bedroom. She didn’t know what the hell was going on but she let the baby go to Daryl because she was leaning in his direction with her arms out trying to get from him to her. Daryl took the baby and they both stared at Carol's bedroom door wondering what the hell just happened.

 

“So… they know each other?” Carol said.

 

“I don’t know… Merle keeps his personal life private.” Daryl said. “Told me a few months back he met the one… they been living together and he said he asked her to marry him and she fled last time I spoke to him about her a week or so ago....so I guess that’s the one.”

 

“One of my good friends? Dating your brother?” Carol said quietly, “This is a right mess.”

 

“Hmm, what do you want to do?” Daryl asked her, he was standing there feeling awkward holding Sophia wondering what they should do now that Merle and Andrea had left the room. Carol was glancing towards the bedroom door. “He won’t hurt her.” He assured her.

 

“I’m just wondering if this is the guy she’s been talking about for a few months. The one…” Carol said quietly. “So are you hungry?”

 

“Yeah I can eat.” He followed her into the kitchen watching her move about, he sat down at the tiny table. He looked about he had never been into the tiny kitchen there was barely any room to move with both of them in there. He sat humming quietly to Sophia who he sat on the table facing him, his hands on either side of her. She was leaning forward like she was trying to bite him, he guessed she was trying to kiss him or something similar or use him as a teething ring. 

 

Sophia started trying to pull his hair and he kept taking her hand away gently. Carol turned on the grill and put a couple of steaks on. She fixed him a plate of salads that she had brought and she already had baked potatoes in the oven. She put two on his plate and one on hers to have with garlic butter. When it was done she looked at him and suggested that he took Sophia off the table. He moved her onto his knee.

 

He seemed not to be bothered eating one handed and Carol gave him a dirty look when he went to give Sophia some of his food. He handed her a piece of broccoli.

 

“She’ll be fine. She’s not gonna eat it anyway.” Daryl told her.

 

“She hasn’t had anything yet.”

 

“Well she likes it.” Daryl kept eating and Sophia kept sucking on the broccoli. Carol watched them both under her eyelashes, "She's old enough to try, don't give her mushed up shit..." Daryl checked his language and almost blushed when Carol looked like she would growl at him. "Sorry, she can have real food like this. She'll spit it out she won't choke."

 

"Are you going to be here every meal time watching her to see if she's going to choke?"

"If you want?"

Carol couldn't tell it was almost like he was saying he wanted to come round more often.

 

 Andrea stuck her head around the door looking at them both, she looked like she had been crying, “We are just going to go out to get dinner, you don’t mind do you?” She asked them. Carol shook her head and waited for them to go. Then they carried on with one of the most awkward dinner dates ever. Daryl direct most of his conversation towards Sophia and the odd word to Carol.

 

Carol kept her eyes down. She didn’t know what to say or how to even stare the conversation but it was almost like Daryl didn’t want to even have a conversation with her. Then out of nowhere he started talking.

 

“Do you think we could just try being friends?” Daryl asked her, “I mean… it’s silly having to go through lawyers every time one of us wants to change something and the only one gaining anything is the lawyer's.”

Friends… could they be friends because him being close had kick started her libido and he was really quite adorable with Sophia. She blinked slowly and looked up at him.

 

“Friends… I guess so. What did you have in mind?” Carol asked him.

 

Daryl finished his plate of food and waited for Carol to finish hers.

 

“I don’t know, maybe we could try just doing something together with Sophia… take her to the park, or the pool or whatever.” Daryl said. “What do you normally do with her all day while I’m at work?”

 

Carol stared at him not know if it meant he thought she sat around all day doing nothing.

 

“I started taking her to a playgroup and we go to the park, sometimes we go to the store and do shopping and pay bills. We stop by and see Glenn and Caesar, Andrea comes over. We do stuff. We don’t just hang out here every day.” Carol said.

 

“I have the rest of the week off so do you want to go to the park tomorrow? Or something… whatever you want to do?” Daryl asked her.

 

“OK, about eleven, usually I go after her morning nap.” Carol told him. He stood up and put his plate on the bench and come back handing Sophia over to Carol.

 

“Thanks for dinner. I’ll text you in the morning.” Daryl said he bent his head and for a moment Carol thought he was going to kiss her but he kissed Sophia and left. A few minutes later she heard his motorbike take off down the road.

  
***********************************************


	7. Chapter 7

Daryl knocked on her door at eleven and waited for Carol to answer. She opened the door wearing jeans and a simple tee shirt. She was wearing boots and his eyes drifted up her body. Carol crossed her arms across her chest because his gaze was lingering around her chest area. she stared at him until he looked up in her eye.

 

“She’s still asleep, do you want coffee?” Carol asked him as she opened the door to him.

 

“Sure.” He stepped in, he was swinging his bike keys around his fingers. He stuck the keys in his pocket and shuffled from side to said. “How long she been asleep?”

 

“About an hour and half. She normally sleeps two hours.” Carol told him, he followed her into the kitchen. “I thought we could walk to the park and have some lunch at the hotdog stand?”

 

“Sounds good.” Daryl said. He sat down on her couch and put his head in his hands rubbing his hands all over his face. He leaned back on the couch and shut his eyes for a few minutes waiting for Carol to come back. When he opened his eyes and saw Sophia close to his face, she was on her knees rocking on her knees trying to get to him. He could feel her hot breath on his face. He was lying sideways on the couch covered in a blanket. His shoes were off. His face was hanging off the side of the couch and Sophia was trying to get to him still.

 

Carol walked back into the room with what looked like her lunch. She gave Daryl a smile.   


“I come back to find you snoring your head off, so I figured that you needed to sleep.” Carol said. “Lunch?”

“How long was I out?” He asked her, “You should've woken me.”

 

“No, you were snoring like you hadn’t slept well in a long time. Soup and toast? Not as good as hot dogs but we can have those for afternoon tea!” Carol told him. He struggled to sit up, he picked up Sophia and gave her a cuddle. Carol put the soup and toast on the little table beside him.

 

They ate watching Sophia try and move around the small room. There were toys everywhere. Sophia was trying to practice her crawling. Carol showed him how to clip her into her pram and they pushed her down to the park.

 

Carol let him push the pram down the street. It was the first time he had had the chance to take her anywhere. She was wearing her sunglasses and so was he, Carol was looking about enjoying the day and she was even enjoying the company even though he was barely talking to her.

 

They pushed the pram through the gates of the park, Daryl glanced to Carol to what direction to go. Carol pointed towards the duck pond.

 

“She likes the ducks,” She said.

 

He followed her pushing the pram down the pathway that headed towards the ducks. Carol headed towards the park seats. She showed him how to put the brakes on the pram and they took Sophia out to walk closer to the water.

 

Carol let Daryl hold her, he bent down with her to get a closer look at the ducks, Carol couldn’t believe he actually had a smile on her face. She took a chance pulling out her phone to snap a photo of them. Daryl looked up when he heard the noise, he actually looked at the phone so she could take a decent photo of them.

 

“Can I have a copy?” He asked her, she nodded.

 

“She looks like you.” Carol said.

 

“She looks like you…” Daryl counter, “She has your frown sometimes… and your smile.”

 

Carol gave the frown to Daryl that he was talking about when a little old lady come up to them.

 

“Its so lovely to see a young couple out with their baby.” She said, “Isn’t she lovely.”

 

Carol smiled at the comments, the old lady clucked over Sophia in Daryl’s arms and then she turned her attention to Carol and Daryl.

 

“I remember taking my kids to the park to see the ducks and my husband bless his soul never would take the time to see them with the kids. Its so lovely to see dads so involved with there children now days it never happened in my day.” She said.

“Thank you. She’s pretty special.” Daryl told her.

 

“You are so lucky to have a husband who wants to spend time with their kids. Treasure him, you are a lucky women.” The old lady said to Carol, Carol nodded that she would and avoided Daryl’s eyes while nodding, the woman shuffled past and moved on to talk to the next person.

 

Daryl stood there watching the lady shuffle along.

 

“You should treasure me… see the old duck likes me.” Daryl joked with her.

 

“She likes everyone. Yesterday she told me how to make stone soup. She’s from the old folks home. See that’s her minder trailing along behind her.” Carol told him. “But I’m starting to change my mind about you.”

 

“Are you?” Daryl glanced her way and saw that she was pushing the pram towards him.

 

“You feel like a hot dog?” Carol asked him.

 

He nodded and kept Sophia in his arms and let Carol push the pram towards the hot dog vender. Carol was going to buy him one but in the end he brought hers and Carol went across to the man selling coffee and brought that. Daryl found a seat with a table attached. Sophia was watching them eat opening and closing her mouth. Daryl waved his hot dog in front of her.

 

“I think ya mama would have me hung and quartered if I give you some.” Daryl told her.

 

“Maybe not that extreme but do not give her your hot  dog, she will choke.” Carol said as she bit into hers. Sophia started crying because she wanted what they were holding. Carol put her hot dog down and assumed the position to feed her. She started eating with one hand with Sophia tucked into her side.

 

“You are good at that.” Daryl told her.

 

“What?”

 

“Being a ma, Sophia’s lucky.” Daryl told her, “She’s not needing anything really, just you.”

 

“And you.” Carol countered. “I’m really sorry I made it so hard for you to get to know her… I didn’t know you at all and …”  
  
“You thought I was some arsehole?”

 

“Maybe… I know you are not, I can’t promise I’m going to love it when you take Sophia from me to go to your place. I’m not ready to leave her or have her go without me. But the courts say I have to.” Carol glanced up at him.

 

“Don’t cry.”

 

“I’m not crying…”

 

“What if you come with her?” Daryl offered.

 

“That’s not fair to you though… you are allowed time.”

 

Daryl glanced at her and looked her up and down. He coughed and looked like he wanted to say something but didn’t know how to say it.

 

“When’s your lease up on your apartment?” he asked her, “You gonna need something bigger?”

 

“Soon I have started looking I want something with a yard.” Carol said, “So she can play but everything's so expensive and then there’s daycare. I’m thinking we might have to find someone who wants to share with a woman and a baby.”

 

“What if you could find somewhere really cheap and take a bit more time before going back to work?” Daryl asked her, her eyes narrowed and she stared at him. “My place has a yard and four bedrooms. Two bathrooms. If you wanna think about sharing with me.”

 

“Are you kidding right now?” She asked him.

 

“I work swing shifts. Sometimes its from eight to two, sometimes two to eight and sometimes it's a night shift. I’m out a lot working or sleeping. I already love Sophia so she wouldn’t be a problem, I kinda like you even though you have been  a pain in my arse for the past eight months. But yeah… you can move in and share with me if you wanna. Rent's dirt cheap cos I already paid it off. So just expenses if you wanna.”

 

“You are asking me to move in with you? Like housemates?” Carol asked him seriously to see if he was pulling a prank.

 

“Yeah then I can see Sophia when ever I wanna and you don’t have to stress about having a roommate that doesn’t like Sophia. No strings. You don’t gotta do nothing you don’t wanna but you and Soph can have a room each and there’s a yard. You can put a play house out there.”

 

“But what if you start seeing someone or dating and we are living you your home.”

 

He stared at her for a long time and said. “I was hoping… I mean. You might like to go on a date with me or something… stupid I know, but I can’t stop thinking about that night.”

 

Carol blushed bright red and knew what he meant, that night was great, amazing but what if it didn’t work out.

 

“If it doesn’t work out I’ll move in with Merle or something. You always can have somewhere to stay. I’ll gift the house to Sophia or something.” Daryl said.

 

“Ok… we will move in. But how soon is too soon because my rents due on Monday.” Carol said quietly. “I can give notice.”

 

“You don’t want to look at my place first?”

 

“The courts looked at it and said it was fine so….” Carol didn’t know why she trusted him but she did. She knew it would work out somehow.

 

“So because a judge said its ok you don’t want to look yourself?” Daryl was amused.

 

“Well they did a home check and let's face it it has to be better than my place, but we can go have a look.” Carol said.

 

“Come over for dinner of.” Daryl invited her. Carol nodded her head that it was ok she would like that. They finished their coffee and slowly walked back to Carol’s place. Daryl stood there looking about, trying to figure out if they needed to get a mover in or not.

 

Carol packed a diaper bag, Daryl was hovering around her bedroom door holding the baby. “Why don’t you pack to stay over the night and see what you think before making any rash decisions?”

 

“I don’t have a porta cot for Soph.” She said.

 

“I’ve a nursery, its got toys and cot and stuff.” He said quietly.

 

“This isn’t some way to get me there to trick me so you can steal her? How do you have a nursery?” Carol asked him.

 

“I needed to prove I had means to adopt a few years back, so I needed one. It's clean I have a cleaner come in and the house has heating pumped through there, all you have to do is make it up.” He told her. “You can use it for Sophia or build her a nursery the way you want it.”

 

Carol wasn’t sure until she saw his house how she would feel about Sophia going into a bedroom that was meant for another little baby that was no longer with them.

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter sorry guys i have more wotk coming i am trying to finish work before posting it. I have a couple to finish. A cross over and a few more half started. More soon. Rsmbles

 

Daryl opened the door to the nursery to show Carol, she stepped inside looking about. It was beautiful although it was too perfect like it was from a showroom or something. If Sophia crawled around in there she would have it looking lived in as she would pull the toys down. She would spill up on the beautiful floor and it would be a mess of baby things in no time.

 

“Wow…” was all Carol could say looking about the room. “Wow…, omg you must have thought my place was a hole.”

 

“No… I didn’t think that.” Daryl said, he had Sophia in his arms and walked in lying her down in the cot and turned the mobile on for her to watch. He watched her watching the mobile and Carol watched him watching her. It was a very interesting moment. He was saying something to her that Carol couldn’t quite hear. He lifted his head up and looked at her. 

 

“You want me to move a bed in here I know you been sharing a room with her, or I could try move it…” Daryl said, suggesting he move the cot closer to the connecting door therefor she would be closer to Carol and he also pointed across to the baby monitor. “Or whatever, I have a fold out bed…”

 

“I don’t know, I kinda had to share with her because of space but it wasn’t really an option to have her in her own room. Maybe we put a stretcher in here just in case, I’ll try sleep in there. I mean the door will be open and it's like what? Eight feet away.” Carol said. "The wall wouldn't be that big of a deal?" Carol tried to convince herself that the wall didn't matter between Carol and Sophia. 

 

“It can be four feet away if you want me to push it over there.” Daryl suggested after seeing Carol's internal struggle, he pulled a blanket up and tucked it in around Sophia who had shut her eyes. “Get me the blankie and teddy.”

 

Carol brought her special things over and tucked them in around sophia and followed Daryl out into the main part of the house. Carol stood there not quite knowing what to do and she wrapped her arms around herself.

 

“What do you wanna do? Should we order in dinner, I don’t really carry much in.” Daryl said. “We can get food in tomorrow.”

 

“We can order something.” Carol said. “I need to eat a bit, feeding Soph…”

 

“Should I run to the store. Get stuff for breakfast. Write a list.” Daryl said.

 

“I’ll get you some money.” Carol said.

 

“I’ll get it. You can fix me up later if you think you have to.” Daryl said, “I can get some food.”

 

“Daryl… I can’t…”

 

He cut her off. “Look you can get it next time.” He said, “Maybe you can make your bed up and stuff, turn the heat on in the room by the nursery and turn the electric blankets on and warm it up.”

 

“Ok, where are the sheets?”

 

“In the hall cupboard.” He told her, he grabbed his keys and a backpack and his helmet and headed out. 

 

Carol wandered down the hall she checked on Sophia and then she opened the door to the hallway cupboard. It wasn’t the cupboard it was Daryl’s bedroom. The bed dominated the bedroom. It was messy and not made like he’d just rolled out of it. There was clothes dropped on the floor and it was generally a mess. It was like he’d basically been living in there for the past week. The rest of the house didn’t appear to have the same lived in appearance as his bedroom did. She wondered if this was the only room he hung out in when he was at home.

 

She cast her eyes around the walls and saw some photos of Sophia there. Tucked in around the mirror that was on the wall. There were some polaroids of other babies, toddlers and children that Carol assumed that were his other babies that he had adopted that were no longer with him.

 

She shut the door moving away so not to step into the bedroom. That's what she wanted to do, go through all his stuff and try to work him out. She wanted to climb into his bed and take a deep sleep. Instead she grabbed the sheets out of the cupboards, and went through to make the bed up in the room by the nursery. 

 

Daryl’s house was very nice and very tidy but it also seemed like somewhere where Daryl just put his stuff. It wasn’t really a home.  Not yet. His fridge was like a home because it was covered in photos also, but the lounge and the rest of the home was pretty bare with just what was required for the place. No warmth nothing was cosy, it was like being in a motel with nothing else to do.

 

She wondered how long he lived here, casting her eyes about it looked like he not long moved in. But his bedroom was lived in. It was like he never ever used the family room, the den where the fire place was which had a big fireguard around it. There was wood in there and for a moment she wanted to light a fire. So she did.

 

She found matches and firelighters on the mantle and set about to make a fire. She knelt back to admire her handy work, the smell of the wood and the heat coming from the fire place started to make the place smell like there was people living there. She held her hands out to the flames and waited to feel the heat hit her hands. 

 

She ducked down the hall to check on Sophia who was still sleeping sound. She headed back to the kitchen and opened the cupboards. They were completely bare bar a few cups and a few plates. She found a bag of coffee and set about making coffee for something to do. She walked through to the main room. She turned on the tv for something to do. It was a weird feeling because it felt like she was staying at a hotel.

 

(((((((((((((((((((((

 

Daryl come back into his house and already it smelt different. He could smell the coffee, he could smell the wood burning and he could even smell Carol and Sophia. He dumped the shopping on the counter and Carol looked up from the couch at him.

 

“Daryl…?” 

 

“Hm?”

 

“Why don’t you live in your house?” Carol asked him.

 

“I do… I just… I don’t know I’ve been at the hospital a lot and with the kids. Sophia the rest of the time.” Daryl said. “I just don’t spend a lot of time here mostly out and about doing stuff seeing the kids. All sorts of things.”

 

“You don’t spend any time just chilling out at home?” Carol stood up off the couch and wandered across to the kitchen, she pulled out a coffee cup for him and started make Daryl a cup of coffee. Daryl leaned back against the counter and crossed his arms in front of him. There was shopping spread everywhere around him, Carol had no idea how he managed to get it all home on his bike.

 

“I didn’t want it to be like this. I tried to contact you and tried to be a family but…” Daryl said. “Can we at least try to be a family for Sophia?”

 

Carol nodded. “Will you spend more time at home? More time in the lounge room or do we all need to live in our rooms?”

 

“We can spend time wherever,” Daryl’s tone was suggestive. Carol glanced up at him wondering what he meant. “If you want to we could try all the way… You and me?”

 

Carol was floored that he suggested that. Carol just stood there with her mouth open she knew what she wanted, she wanted to try but she been so mean to him in the past making him go to court and everything. She didn't know if he would forgive her for that, she gave him the briefest of nods that she would like to try that.

 

“Come here!” His voice was low and guttural, he held his arm out waiting to see what she would do. She was hesitating of stepping into his embrace, his tone was giving her chills right down her body, but she did step towards him taking that leap of faith that he had forgiven her and wanted to try for Sophia. He pulled her close in, he kissed her temple and waited to see if she was going to do something next. She didn’t do anything just relaxed into his arms and stayed that way for a few minutes. Then she pulled away looking at him in the eye. She leaned in giving him the briefest of kisses on the mouth.

 

“Slow?”

 

“I’ll take it so fucken slow you will be making all the first moves.” He whispered kissing her back softly. "You'll think I'm a freaken snail or a turtle or something."

  
  



End file.
